George J Sutton

US Patent:

54422868, Aug 15, 1995

Filed:

Sep 22, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/125469

Inventors:

George H. Sutton - Cincinnati OH
Francis H. Little - Cincinnati OH
Carl Granger - West Chester OH
Philip F. Stapf - Cincinnati OH

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Cincinnati OH

International Classification:

G01N 2782

US Classification:

324242

Abstract:

A device for inspecting a component, such as a dovetail slot of a gas turbine engine or the like, includes an eddy current array circuit having an active face for positioning on the surface of the component during the inspection operation and a backing disposed on a face of the eddy current array circuit opposite to the active face. The eddy current array circuit and the backing are disposed over the operating face and expandable sides of an expandable bar. The expandable bar has a slot formed therein with interior side edges which narrow toward the operating face of the bar at a predetermined slope. An expanding wedge with angled sides is positioned to cause the angled sides to respectively matingly engage the interior sides of the slot to cause the exterior sides of the expandable bar to expand outwardly a greater distance as the wedge is pushed deeper into the slot to cause the eddy current array circuit into conformance with the shape of the surface being inspected.

US Patent:

53152344, May 24, 1994

Filed:

Apr 3, 1992

Appl. No.:

7/862950

Inventors:

George H. Sutton - Cincinnati OH
Francis H. Little - Cincinnati OH
Kristina H. V. Hedengren - Schenectady NY
Richard J. Charles - Schenectady NY
William P. Kornrumpf - Albany NY
Donna C. Hurley - Albany NY

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Cincinnati OH

International Classification:

G01N 2782
G01R 3312
H01F 2102

US Classification:

324242

Abstract:

An eddy current device for inspecting a component includes an eddy current array circuit having respective pluralities of drive and sense elements and having an active face for positioning on a surface of the component during the inspection operation. A backing is disposed on a face of the eddy current array circuit opposite to the active face for concentrating an electromagnetic flux from the eddy current array circuit into the component when each of the plurality of drive elements is being energized. A mechanical arrangement is provided for supporting and deploying the backing and the array circuit to substantially conform with the surface portion under inspection and to cause each of the pluralities of drive and sense elements to be maintained at their respective substantially constant distances from the inspection surface during scanning, preferably at a controlled rate of scan.